302 PLANT HYBRIDIZATION BEFORE MENDEL 



gametic composition. So that AXB is represented by AA.BB, not 

 simply by AB as in Mendel's terminology, and so on. Following the 

 expression introduced by Bateson in 1901, each member of an op- 

 posing pair of characters is spoken of as an "allelomorph," from the 

 Greek allelon (reciprocal) and morphe (form). Round and wrin- 

 kled are then "allelomorphs^'' and such character-pairs are re- 

 ferred to as " alleloinorphic" pairs. This terminology has, of 

 course, become practically universal. 



It was Mendel's belief, and this belief has been confirmed by 

 the discoveries since made, that all fertilizations are of the same 

 character, and that the phenomena which we call ''Mendelian" 

 are really the general phenomena which occur in all unions what- 

 soever of sexual cells, whether of plants or of animals, including 

 man, where independently operating factors are concerned; in 

 other words, that the phenomenon called "Mendelian" is the uni- 

 versal condition in amphimixis. It is extremely interesting to note 

 the signally significant insight of Mendel's comment as follows: 



"whether the variable hybrids of other plant species observe an entire 

 agreement must also be decided experimentally. In the meantime we may 

 assume that in material points an essefitial difference can scarcely occur, 

 since unity in the developmental plan of organized life is beyond dis- 

 pute." (5d, p. 375.) (Italics inserted.) 



Mendel himself, in his later experiments of crossing the dwarf 

 Lima Bean {Phaseolus nanus) "with small white seeds," with the 

 Scarlet Runner Bean (Phaseolus multiflorus) with "large seeds 

 which bore black flecks and splashes on a peach-blossom-red 

 ground," found that the color combination in the seeds appeared 

 not to follow his law. Anticipating modern work, which has con- 

 firmed his hypothetical conclusion, he says: 



"Even these enigmatical results, however, might probably be explained 

 by the law governing Pisum, if we might assume that the color of the 

 flower and seeds of Phaseolus multiflorus is a combination of two or 

 more entirely independent colors, which iiidividually act like any other 

 constant character in the plant" (Italics inserted.) (p. 367.) 



Mendel concludes with a further significant statement (p. 370), 

 which is perhaps one of the most striking illustrations of antici- 

 patory analysis to be found in the entire paper, and which was 

 first actually and fully demonstrated by the work of Bateson with 

 Sweet Peas in 1905 and 1906. 



